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1st round games have ended in the Stanley cup, with teams moving up the bracket and facing new opponents,  whilst others were left in the dust to try again next season. Which many of the teams had no apparent issue in moving up.  And plus, either history was being made, or major twists were happening. And WHO may be the biggest twist of them all? 

The Winnipeg Jets. A team with high hopes, and the most expected team to win the Stanley cup this year when many seasons before, it was being outshined, and a forgotten team. But this season alone, the Jets have broken many records. Having by far the best defense in the NHL, and top 3 for offensive play, and holds the record for best starting season, beating the previous record held by the Ottawa Senators. an absolutely stacked team that is not to be underestimated… 

at least till the Stanley cup playoffs rolled around. Because they were facing yet another surprising team in the mix, that being the ST. Louis Blues, who were previously on a 12 game winning streak, and had their eyes on the cup. And boy, did the Jets struggle. The Blues were a surprising counter-measure to Winnipeg, having tied the series before they lost on a surprising comeback from Winnipeg. 

But the one that stood above all when it came to the struggle, was none other than the NHL’s #1 goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck, who was on road to win the Vezina, now has people questioning if he really deserves it. Having struggled against the Blues the whole time during the series, and even had soft goals go in past him, when normally the tendy would be able to stop it like it was going slow motion. But that series was definitely not his best. He in the regular season, had a Save Percentage of .925%, made over 1,500 saves, and currently holds the most shutouts this season. That is Vezina trophy material… right? 

That was until Hellebuyck entered the playoffs. Now, he currently has .848% as a Save Percentage, and has only saved 190 of the 224 shots he has faced since the playoffs started. Which is definitely a major drop from previous stats in the regular season.

But is it entirely his fault?

Not entirely. Because it wasn’t just him that cracked, it was also the thought-to-be-best defense in the NHL. They were constantly getting crushed, and would crumble when they couldn’t handle the offensive pressure, they even went as low as to become ignorant of Hellebuyck’s protection. So it can’t be ruled that its Hellebuyck’s fault? Again, not entirely, we shouldn’t ignore what soft shots he let by into his net, but at the same time, we couldn’t shrug off how sad the defensive play was for Winnipeg. Now, they currently are playing against the Stars, and sit at a 2-1 series, with Dallas winning. Now it is up to them, if they want to win it, or lose it all.